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Espresso

Larissa Dubecki

Anthony Hammond and Andrew McConnell at the Builders before last week's opening. Photo: Eddie Jim

Chef's call to Arms

ADDING yet more heft to the argument Fitzroy's Gertrude Street should be renamed McConnell Street, the Builders Arms Hotel opened last week. Andrew McConnell, whose restaurant Cutler & Co is a block west along the street and whose brother Matt McConnell joined the Gertrude fray with Bar Lourinha spin-off Casa Ciuccio, also last week, says he intends to remain true to the spirit of the old-school drinking hole, despite anything the involvement of designers du jour Projects of Imagination might suggest. McConnell's partners in his first foray into the pub world are Anthony Hammond and Josh Murphy (absent for our photo shoot). Current Age Good Food Guide young chef of the year, Murphy has been replaced as Cumulus Inc head chef by Colin Wood. At the Builders he will be in charge of a simple (no bookings) bistro menu anchored by a wood rotisserie in the courtyard, as well as dishes including guinea fowl pot pie and Moon light Flat oysters. An additional small dining room, due to open in a couple of months, will give him a chance to spread his wings.

Tale of the deep-fryer

AT THE recent launch of Stephanie Alexander's memoir, A Cook's Life, the kitchen doyenne lamented the number of stories she was unable to include. Thankfully, Nicky Riemer was later able to shed light on what Alexander tantalisingly referred to as ''the deep-fried sparrow incident''. Then head chef of the newly opened Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, Riemer was in charge one night when a sparrow flew into the kitchen and ended up cremating itself in the deep-fryer. ''I was freaking out,'' says Riemer, now with her own Richmond restaurant, Union Dining. ''We were joking about serving it and calling it pigeon.''

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Hispanic promise

EZARD'S sous chef for the past three years, Garen Maskal, is about to fly the nest to open a Hispanic restaurant close to home in Glen Waverley. At the tender age of 25, Maskal is taking the ownership plunge with a couple of relatives, based on their belief that the Glen is in need of something more upmarket. ''People around there need somewhere they can go that's close by, instead of going into the city and standing in a queue for two hours waiting to get dinner.'' He would have followed Ezard's Asian muse but for the local strength in that area. Instead, his restaurant, The Black Toro - behind the Novotel on the busy cafe strip of Kingsway - will cover a broad sweep from Mexico to Peru and beyond. All going to plan, they open in mid-June.

Bruin meets its ruin

A SHORT six months of trading has ended for Bruin, the Williamstown restaurant opened by Iain Munro and David Danks of Yarraville's busiest cafes, Cornershop and Wee Jeannie. Munro says Williamstown proved a harder market than they expected. ''It just didn't go. It was going to take a lot of time and effort just to break even so we decided to concentrate on the mothership at Yarraville.''

Bia o'clock

IT'S the rare traveller to Vietnam who doesn't get misty-eyed over memories of Bia Hoi, the cheap-as-chips draught beer typically consumed with a block of ice at street-corner bars. Hanoi's best-known tipple is about to be launched in Melbourne, thanks to first-generation Australian Anh Tran, who has gained distribution rights with 120-year-old brewers Bia Ha Noi. Geography dictates that the bottled version we drink won't be made and consumed within the typical 42-hour timeframe, and Tran refrained from repeating the claim that the beer doesn't cause hangovers. Its clean freshness is, however, something for aficionados to look forward to, especially with Asian food. Sole retailer Old Richmond Cellars should be delivering the first shipment to bars, including Double Happiness, New Gold Mountain and Lily Blacks, in the next few weeks.

Dingle goes Public

THE ambitious South Wharf redevelopment is nearing completion, with most of its food and beverage outlets now open. The latest news is that Justin Dingle, who trained under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, is head chef for the Darcy Group, working out of their South Wharf venue, Melbourne Public. Spanish restaurant Bohemian, meanwhile, has also recruited internationally with Spanish native Josep Espuga Solans, whose CV includes Degustation in New York's East Village, Andoni Aduriz's Mugaritz restaurant in San Sebastian and at the Guggenheim restaurant in Bilbao.

Arzak world's best

ELENA Arzak of Restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian has been named the best female chef in the world ahead of the increasingly influential S. Pellegrino World's Best Restaurants announcements. Arzak, who shares kitchen duties with her father, Juan Mari Arzak, is the fourth generation to work in the restaurant. The full 2012 list will be released in London on April 30. But don't hold your breath for the best male chef award.